A young woman who was drunk when her vehicle collided with a truck on the freeway in City Heights, killing her best friend, will be evaluated by prison officials to help determine if she is suitable for prison or should be placed on probation, a judge ruled Wednesday.
Yolanda Lozano, 20, pleaded guilty last month to gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated in the Feb. 17 death of her passenger, 19-year-old Mabel Bahena.
According to the plea agreement, Lozano faces up to seven years in prison.
Bahena’s brother and father urged Judge Timothy Walsh to send the defendant home to live with them because she had been a part of the victim’s life since they were little.
“The pain is tremendous,” said Gustavo Bahena, the victim’s father. “I know this was an accident.”
Deputy District Attorney Laura Evans — arguing for the maximum sentence — told the judge that Lozano drank alcohol during an interview at a hookah lounge and had a blood-alcohol content of .22 percent hours after the 6 p.m. accident, which occurred on state Route 15 just north of Interstate 805.
The prosecutor said Lozano had experience drinking in Tijuana and knew what alcohol can do to a driver behind the wheel.
Walsh said he needed to take the wishes of the victim’s family into account but also consider the prosecution’s position on the “extremely serious” case.
Lozano will undergo a 90-day study to determine her suitability for prison. She will return to San Diego for sentencing Dec. 18.
–City News Service
